


certainly one way to start a relationship

by xkailajayx



Series: modern!Vox Machina [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:42:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8907679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xkailajayx/pseuds/xkailajayx
Summary: In which Percy is the heir to a technology company that was usurped by the Briarwoods, Vax is a highly skilled thief, Pike wants to give Percy a bed and the others are just getting pulled along the way.





	1. the break in

Percy had realised he was out of filament about an hour before dawn, three before the first shop that might just sell it was even likely to be open. It was frustrating, having to wait to do practically anything for so long. He read instead, eventually falling asleep at his desk, face pressed to the pages.

By the time he woke up, the sun was high in the sky and his stomach almost hurt. When was the last time he ate? He couldn't remember. Crossing the room from the messy desk to the small kitchenette, he investigated the fridge. Empty, aside from a small carton of take out that he couldn't remember ordering. When had he last bought something for anything other than his experiments?

Sighing softly, Percy pulled his coat over his shoulders. He'd have to get more than just the filament, if he had enough in his bank account to get it. Once he had this latest project finished, he'd be fine. Briarwood might want his more dangerous inventions more than the useful ones he offered, but they'd never refused a single one before. And once he made a name for himself he wouldn't even have to deal with them. Just a little further, and he'd be able to make the de Rolo name known in technology again.

It didn't take long to get to the shops he needed. The filament was less expensive than he'd expected, the food more complicated- who needed to choose from so many different kinds of mac and cheese? He got the second cheapest- he was, after all, still a de Rolo, even if his funds were somewhat disgruntled. It was only temporary.

As he walked back into the small apartment, he frowned. The door was open, just a crack, but still- he always shut it, usually locked it behind him. Enough of his designs were being copied after he'd had them patented, he didn't need that to happen before he could claim any money from them. Anxiously pushing the door open, he blinked at what he saw.

Lithe and a little on the short side, the man stood in the middle of his sparsely furnished apartment blinked back.

"So, in the interest of full disclosure, I did possibly break into your apartment to steal from you," the man said, long black hair pushed behind his ears. "But there's nothing here. How can you live like this? You don't even have a bed."

"I have a perfectly comfortable futon. I didn't think a bed was entirely necessary-" Percy moved carefully around the side of the room until he reached his desk. "Why did you stay, once you realised there's nothing worth taking?"

"Well, I was mostly just wondering what on earth the person who lived like this was like, honestly." He shrugged. Percy frowned more deeply, checking over the assorted drawings and parts he'd been working on. "You don't quite look like the crazed inventor type. Too young and... well groomed."

"I. Who _are_ you, exactly?" He asked, crossing the room to put the meager amount of food into the fridge. "Because I'm sure there are considerably more important places you could be, than- somehow attempting to compliment me after having broken into my- very temporary- home."

"Oh! Right, yes. I'm Vax. Vax'ildan Vessar. Pleasure to meet you...?" Vax smirked a little, bowing almost mockingly in front of him.

"... Percival. De Rolo." Percy said, raising an eyebrow and nodding. "Are you just planning on staying while I call the police, or were you going to leave?"

"Now, come on, it's not like I actually stole anything." He huffed, standing back up straight and crossing his arms over his chest. Percy set the packet of copper wire he'd gotten on the desk as he tried to tidy it up a little.

"You said yourself, there's nothing of value for you here. Otherwise, you would have." He muttered, collecting the assorted papers together and tucking them into one of the folders set on the bookshelf next to the desk.

"Alright, fine. I'll go. But really, you should get yourself a bed. It's not good for you, sleeping at your desk."

Percy turned to ask him how he knew he slept there, instead of the futon, more often than not, but the strange man had already vanished. The small window, usually shut, was open. And there was a single black feather on the windowsill.

He just hoped that was the last of it.


	2. the take in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy meets the rest of the gang, and continues to be bemused by a thief who breaks into his home only to critique his lifestyle.

Whatever Percy had expected to happen, it wasn't a loud thud and a curse in the night. He'd taken Vax's words to heart, a little, and for once had bedded down at a vaguely sensible time on the futon, instead of sleeping through the dawn at his desk.

The loud shushing that followed the curse confused him. Had someone come to steal his work? There was nothing large enough in the room to require more than one person to take, nor make such a noise if dropped. Most of the pieces were more likely to quietly smash, or violently explode. So, at least he still had an apartment.

Sitting up, he rubbed at blurry eyes and reached for his glasses. "Hello? Who's there?"

The light was dim in the room, a soft orange glow coming through the window from the street, but the few figures in his room were slowly coming in to focus as he set the glasses on his nose. The noise seemed to have come from a small, blonde girl, who had dropped the corner of- a sofa? On her own foot, the shushing coming from an equally small man.

Percy pulled the covers back, moving to grab at one of the mostly finished designs sat in a box by his bed- it might not be quite finished, but it could still pack quite a shock, if used correctly.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my home?" He demanded to know, mildly embarrassed as he stood by the side of the futon in a drop-seat onesie, a strange coiled wire around his hand.

Six pairs of eyes suddenly turned to him, and there was another thud- and a lower, deeper curse.

"Percival! Hello, well, we were hoping to be more quiet- Pike, we really need to work on that- but, it's me! And we have a present for you. A few presents." A familiar, black haired man said, stepping from behind a similar, lithe woman. Percy sighed, unwinding the piece and setting it on the desk.

"Presents? You- you've brought me a couch. And a small army." He leaned back against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. "... why?"

The smaller woman took a step forwards, smiling brightly. He could tell now that her hair was closer to white than blonde, and her smile was almost calming in his somewhat bemused state.

"Hello, Percival. My name's Pike, and I'm a friend of Vax's. This was- well, sort of my idea. When Vax came home and told us that you didn't have very much, I suggested we found a way to make your home more... comfortable," she said, taking another step forwards. "I hadn't exactly thought Vax would decide sneaking in in the middle of the night was the best idea, but- well. I just wanted to help out."

"That's- well. Thank you, very much- Pike. And you can just call me Percy, if you'd like. But I really don't need anything more- I'm quite comfortable as it is." Percy said, suddenly humbled.

"You sleep on a futon and you have nothing but microwave meals in your fridge," the girl with the strange resemblance to Vax said, eyebrow raised. "And we managed to get this almost in place before you woke up. My brother was worried about how bare this place was when he visited, and he was completely right. How do you live like this?"

"I- you- well- that's. Hm." Percy grumbled a little, finally looking around. The sofa wasn't the only new thing in the small apartment, he could see in the barely-there light. An overstuffed armchair sat in the corner next to the bookshelf, and a lamp was pointed at the desk. There was a small, rather nice looking coffee table in front of where he imagined they'd been manoeuvring the sofa, and he could see a box behind the group. "I suppose it does look a little better. Could someone near the door possibly turn on the light?"

The largest shadowed figure moved back and, with a click, the room was thrown into light. Six people stood in front of him- Vax and his sister, Pike, the other, smaller man and two he'd barely paid any attention to given they had yet to speak- a slim, red haired woman and a large- concerningly so- muscular man, who seemed to have been the driving force behind carrying much of the furniture.

"Right. Now we can all see each other, perhaps you could finish moving that couch while I make coffee?" He suggested, moving past the group to the kitchenette and fill the kettle. "I may not have enough mugs for all of you, though."

There was a moment of silence before the larger man an Pike started moving again, setting the couch in position. They looked at each other for a moment before settling themselves down comfortably. Looking through his cupboards, Percy managed to find five mugs- many more than he'd expected to find- but no sugar, and he never took milk himself.

"So... black coffee?" He offered, pouring out the five mugs full and handing them out to those who nodded at him. "And full introductions, please. I don't usually take visitors here, let alone a room full of strangers."

He pulled his desk chair around to sit facing them as they all crammed, somehow, onto the sofa. A part of him wondered if they'd specifically chosen it because they could all fit on it- but that didn't make sense. It wasn't like they could possibly expect to come and visit more often.

"Well, you know me. This is my twin sister, Vex'ahlia. Her dog's waiting outside, actually- we weren't sure if you were alright with dogs, but. He's called Trinket." He gestured along to the larger man, bald with a full beard. "That's Grog. And this is Keyleth, and the little guy is Scanlan." Vax smiled confidently. "My friends. Family, really."

"And you decided to break into my home in the middle of the night- why?" He asked, before taking a sip of the coffee, leaning back in his chair. Vax shrugged, the same smirk Percy was starting to get used to on his face.

"I thought it would be a nice surprise for you. We're getting you a bed, next." He said, leaning back into Vex's side.

"I'd have been rather amazed to see that, honestly. I'm fairly sure that would have woken me up, if the swearing hadn't already." Percy commented, a small smile coming to his lips as he imagined the team Vax had brought to sneak the furniture in, carefully lifting him up off the futon to settle him into some ridiculous bed. "I- look. Thank you, all, very much. But there are plenty of people who need things like this more than me."

"Well," Pike piped up, raising a hand. "We had some... things, that we didn't really need. Some of us," she looked pointedly at Grog, "have been known to hoard things, just in case we need them one day. So, furniture! Don't you think the place looks so much nicer now? And- oh, Grog, you should get the other thing!"

Percy watched as the man moved with a quiet huff to collect the box that was sat near the door. Setting it down next to Percy, he just shrugged and sat back down.

"So, we thought- you know, you need things more than just books and little- um, gadgets? To decorate the place! So, well, we got you some things." Pike said as she wriggled back into a more comfortable position pressed in between Grog and Vax.

He raised an eyebrow as he opened the box, smiling a little still as he saw the potted plant, the artwork, the little, useless knick knacks that he'd never have bought for himself but he remembered his mother placing the things Vesper brought back from her various travels on mantels and shelves.

"I- thank you, very much. I'll set all these out when I decide where they should go, but-" He pulled out the plant, the pot clearly painted by someone in the room- though he wasn't sure who- and set it on the new coffee table. "There. I can't forget to water it when it's in between the desk and the kitchen, can I?"

He was met with six bright smiles and a nod from Pike. This was certainly the most bizarre and unexpected wake up he'd ever really had, but also... in some way, it was rather pleasant. Over time, and talking quietly about each of them in turn- though Vax stole the spotlight, a little. Percy couldn't help asking him questions, especially when he seemed so eager to answer. But as it came closer to the sun coming up, the mugs now empty of coffee sitting on the table, it came time for them to leave.

Percy was left alone again, though his home felt much more full- given how small it had been in the first place, the introduction of furniture certainly didn't make it feel any larger- and he was sure, this time, that he would be seeing them all again.

This time, he almost looked forwards to it.


	3. dreams and religion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy has a nightmare, but Pike's there to keep him company.

  
The last night Percy slept on his old worn futon, he dreamt of home- for a time.

Growing up with six siblings, his older brother and sister teasing his bookish nature gently- unlike the children he knew from school- and his younger brothers and sisters leaving him to his studies, most of the time.

The third of seven children, far from the heir apparent to his parents business, he was left to invent and create as much as he ever wanted. Vesper was always the most business minded, almost groomed by their mother to be the next to take up the reins. Julius knew the names of every man and woman who worked for them, and together perhaps the de Rolo Corporation would continue going from strength to strength when it came time for their parents to hand control down to their rabble of children.

He missed them all. His mother, smart and beautiful and so kind. His father, always encouraging him to work harder, to keep learning, to be the best he could be. His siblings, each and every one- so often confused by those outside, especially the twins, but each so bright and individual.

All gone, now.

It didn't take long for the hopeful dream, the remembering, to turn darker. The shadows in the night that swirled around him, watching his siblings faces turn and snarl. Only alive because a cold took him hard at Christmas, stopping him from joining the family on their traditional trip to the old, beautiful home they kept as an escape. Sixteen years old and plenty grown up enough to look after himself for a week, he wasn't worried as he waved them off from the door, nose red and cheeks pale.

Six hours later, the men at his door took any colour left in him. He couldn't remember their faces, not any more. Not the day after they came. They were more dark shadows, caricatures of men that trying to remember left a sick taste in Percy's mouth.

The woman came next. Smart and almost kind at first, Percy almost thought she was a friend. But he learned quickly he had no friends left.

Percy woke up with a pained cry. It had been a while since he'd slept long enough to dream, settled in what passed for his bed. Longer still since he'd dreamed of her, of the shadows. The few dreams he'd had in the last month had been of long, dark hair, of a tall, broad man. Of a small, bright white smile. Even when he was dreaming of family, it so often became a dream of his new found family rather than the end of his last one.

It was almost a surprise to see a long, white-blonde braid hanging over the edge of the sofa when he sat up. He heard Pike's soft sounds of sleep from where he was, smiling a little. They'd all taken to visiting, from time to time. It was rare to pass a whole day without one of the six of them coming by, often without invitation or warning. It would be strange, if it weren't so comforting. He'd find it strange how comforting it felt, really, if it weren't so much like his life back home. Six different people, all finding different ways into his heart- just like his siblings.

He was quiet as he moved over to turn the coffee machine on- another new 'gift' from Vax, better than the instant stuff he'd been drinking. He'd stopped questioning where he found it all after he showed up with the new blowtorch, a week after they met.

When Pike visited, he always worried he was in for some lecture on looking after himself. The cupboards where much less bare now- thanks to Vex, dropping by with food that would last, that was easy enough to turn into something good. But he still forgot to eat, and Pike was the one who noticed more often than not.

"Oh, hello." The voice came from behind him, the noises of a small body shifting as she woke up making him smile a little. "I'm sorry, Scanlan and Grog were making so much noise- I just wanted to read a little and sleep, and... well, you know. It's always so quiet here."

"You're always welcome," Percy smiled brightly at her, turning back to pour himself a cup of coffee. "Would you like some?"

"Oh, no thank you." Pike sat up, pulling her legs up under her. "I'll be bouncing all night. They've probably gone to bed, anyway. I shouldn't bother you."

He sighed softly, shaking his head as his smile slipped a little. "You know you're always welcome- out of all of them, you're the one who gets in the way the least. And you're rather good company, you know." Settling next to her on the couch, he took a sip and crossed his legs at the ankle in front of him.

Pike leaned against his side, huffing a quiet breath. Her book was carefully set on the table, a bright blue bookmark poking out of the top.

"What are you reading, anyway?" He asked, tilting his head in the low light from the desk lamp, barely illuminating the room.

"It's on religious history, from the area I'm from. It's so interesting, there are so many different gods and goddesses that are almost completely forgotten and ignored today- it's kind of sad, really." She said, stting up straight again and tilting her head. "How someone once loved or feared by thousands could suddenly be left behind."

"It's... certainly something to think about, I suppose." He said, nodding. "Sarenrae isn't much followed, is she?"

"Well, no. There aren't many of us- temples, here and there. The only one nearby is the one I look after, and there aren't many who come to leave offerings or pray, but she's never had many worshippers." Pike explained. "Her light never really found this region, though. My grandfather was the first who really took it upon himself to make her name known, and through him, I learned of her."

Percy smiled at her over his coffee cup. Hearing her talk about her goddess was always interesting, as someone who wasn't sure if it was possible to believe in this day and age. He would never judge her, though. Her kindness was encouraged by her belief, in as much as her belief was encouraged by her kindness, and it made her glow.

They sat in relative comfort, Pike picking her book back up and reading in the dim light for a little while. Percy knew that Vax was coming by at some point- the only time he'd said as much, given how getting a bed into the room without Percy noticing would be slightly more difficult than the other items, especially if he didn't know it was coming- and after his dreams, he wasn't about to sleep again. But at least now, he wasn't alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments =) I'm hoping to update once a week at least for the foreseeable future. I like Percy and Pike's friend moments, and was influenced by Pike's song for him on Ashley's playlist! Cursory beta done by tabathafortis on tumblr, any mistakes are mine. Please come find me at xkailajayx.tumblr.com!


End file.
